Says apex committee meetings being held to tackle terrorism | calls Nawaz\u2019s return to Pakistan \u2018encouraging\u2019
\nISLAMABAD
\nCaretaker Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti Monday said that any personnel of security forces found involved in cross-border smuggling would face arrest and would be court-martialed.
\n\u201cIf I say that security forces weren\u2019t involved in smuggling, it won\u2019t be right as the smuggled items are transported via trucks, not camels,\u201d Bugti said during a press conference in Islamabad. He said that Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir had told military personnel that whoever is found involved in illegal cross-border trade would face the music.
\n\u201cPakistan\u2019s army chief had told his people very clearly: there won\u2019t only be court-martials, but those involved in such activities would also be sent to jail,\u201d he added. Bugti told reporters that the army\u2019s accountability mechanism is not made public and that\u2019s why it is not in the knowledge of the masses.
\n\u201cBut the army has its own accountability system, and we have not just seen it in this instance, but post-May 9 as well.\u201d The caretaker minister further said that the government was taking action against smugglers and that they were also appreciating law enforcers for their part in the crackdown on the people involved in illegal activities.
\n\u201cThe state will deal with hawala, hundi, and other illegal activities with an iron fist.\u201d The authorities, he said, had recovered 8,000 metric tonnes of sugar, and action was also being taken against petrol pump stations for selling sub-standard fuel.
\nBugti went on to say that a database was being made of the trucks being used in the smuggling. The government strongly discourages the usage of hawal and hundi, he also said, adding that 168 FIRs have been registered against people involved in the dollar\u2019s illegal trade. The interior minister, in the same presser, said that if Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif plans to return to the country and partake in politics, it would be \u201cencouraging\u201d.
\n\u201cI am still saying, despite what PML-N leaders have said about me, that Nawaz Sharif is the leader who came back to the country with his daughter; if he was afraid of going to jail, he would not have come back.\u201d
\nThe federal minister claimed that the government has to treat every Pakistani citizen in line with the law and the same would be done with Nawaz, the three-tim prime minister.
\nOn rising terrorism, the minister said several apex committee meetings were being held to address the issue, promising that \u201cyou will see changes in the days to come\u201d. His statement came as the country is reeling from deadly bombings in Balochistan and Khyber
\nBugti said he would address the issue of rising terrorism in a media talk tomorrow. \u201cWe have a limited time and limited mandate and we want to fix things that are meant for daily basis. I must say we do not have any softness for anyone irrespective of how influential they are,\u201d he asserted.
\nIn response to a question, the interior minister said the Mastung bombing and other terror incidents were being probed. \u201cRAW\u2019s involvement had been found in incidents that occurred previously in Balochistan. The current bombing is being investigated and once done, we will share details including its executioners and sympathisers.\u201d
\nHe further stated, \u201cNo matter what kind of violence it is, our security forces have the capacity and they have won the fight against terrorism by demonstrating courage. I strongly believe that our enemy does not have much capacity.\u201d
\nBugti also lamented the \u201cdivide in our society\u201d and called on ending it. \u201cOnly the state can exercise violence and this is our consensus. There is zero tolerance for it. You will see changes in days to come,\u201d he said, asserting that Pakistan was resolved to remove all terrorists. If someone wants to impose their agenda through gunpoint, they are mistaken. Only the Constitution will prevail.\u201d
\nAt one point, the minister also said that recent attacks were not \u201cunexpected\u201d because Pakistan had decided to become a \u201chardened state\u201d hence the \u201creaction was due\u201d.
\n\u201cTerrorism is a complicated fight and they don\u2019t have anything else except suicide bombing. State institutions have to protect every inch of the land. This is a difficult fight but not an impossible one. We will fight this,\u201d he vowed.
\nTalking about poll security, Bugti said it was the government\u2019s responsibility. \u201cWe held a meeting with the Election Commission of Pakistan today and we will hold more meetings,\u201d he revealed, adding that the government would request the state institutions whenever the need for security arose.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Says apex committee meetings being held to tackle terrorism | calls Nawaz\u2019s return to Pakistan \u2018encouraging\u2019 ISLAMABAD Caretaker Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti Monday said that any personnel of security forces found involved in cross-border smuggling would face arrest and would be court-martialed. \u201cIf I say that security forces weren\u2019t involved in smuggling, it won\u2019t be […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":359496,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[1018,3468],"class_list":{"0":"post-359471","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news","8":"tag-interior-minister","9":"tag-sarfraz-bugti"},"yoast_head":"\n